Oliver Newth

Knowledge Organization

Principles and practices for effective knowledge management

· 2 min read · budding

Overview

How I organize notes, tags, and links in my knowledge management system.

Core Organization Principles

Content Structure

  • Group related content thematically
  • Maintain clear hierarchies and relationships
  • Use consistent naming and linking conventions
  • Apply metadata strategically (tags, icons, descriptions)

Information Architecture

  • Create logical categories
  • Build intuitive navigation paths
  • Establish clear relationships
  • Enable multiple access points
The preferred label Note taking has an alternative label Taking notes. It is narrower than Knowledge management and broader than Atomic notes. Note linking is an associated concept rather than an alias or necessarily a child.
Names identify a concept; broader/narrower links and associative links describe different relationships. This conceptual example applies SKOS distinctions to garden topics. Original diagram based on W3C, SKOS Simple Knowledge Organization System Primer (2009).

Implementation Strategies

Starting Points

  • Start with broad topic areas like Health and Learning
  • Create focused MOCs for key knowledge domains
  • Build clear navigation paths between related content
  • Regularly review and refine organizational structure

Progressive Development

  • Begin with simple categories
  • Add complexity as needed
  • Maintain balance between structure and flexibility
  • Let organization emerge from usage patterns

Best Practices

  • Keep content scope well-defined - Clear boundaries aid navigation
  • Use descriptive titles and summaries - Enable quick content identification
  • Maintain consistent formatting - Reduce cognitive load
  • Update organization as knowledge base grows - Evolve with your needs
  • Document organizational decisions - Help future navigation
  • Begin at the main index or MOC hub
  • Follow thematic connections through WikiLinks
  • Utilize tag-based discovery for cross-cutting topics
  • Reference MOC usage guidelines for navigation strategies
  • Use search for specific content retrieval

Linked from